Design-based research on gamified outdoor social enquiry learning with context-aware technology: integration of teacher facilitation for advancing the pedagogical effectiveness

Abstract

GAMES (Gamified Authentic Mobile Enquiry in Society) is a context-aware mobile application that we developed to support students in conducting gamified social enquiry learning in outdoor environments. This paper focuses on discussing the latter part of a piece of 2-cycle Design-Based Research (DBR) conducted in the context of formal curriculum learning and teaching in Hong Kong, reporting on the work that we carried out in the second research cycle where teacher facilitation was integrated into the pedagogical implementation of GAMES for advancing its effectiveness. The entire DBR involved 9 teachers (from 9 different high schools in 3 different academic categories) and their Grade-10 classes in two consecutive school years (with a total of 555 students). Upon the different academic settings, we (researchers) collaborated with the teachers (practitioners) to derive and enact what and how they could do in order to optimise their students' social enquiry experience in the course of gamified, technology-enhanced outdoor learning. This study not only reveals the importance of teacher facilitation in the process of gamified mobile learning, but it also sheds light on how to design and implement the articulated pedagogical, administrative and technical facilitation acts in the context of formal education.